AquaSafe – an overview
AquaSafe is a series of awards best introduced at Year 4 or 5. They may also be undertaken by older children however. All are designed to be undertaken sequentially allowing a child to reinforce skills learnt. Each has both practical and theoretical aspects.
Beginning with the levels to encourage non confident swimmers into building confidence in their aquatic survival ability and to ensure they could be able to assist other children or an older person in helping a person in difficulty.
No swimming caps and/or goggles may be worn at any time.
Water Discovery:
Water Discovery:
To familiarise the beginner with water by the introduction of confidence, safety and survival activities.
Water Awareness:
To increase awareness of the water by means of activities which develop water confidence, water safety and survival abilities.
Water Sense:
To further develop the learner’s water sense by means of water safety, survival and swimming activities.
Water Wise:
To reinforce the understanding and to extend personal swimming and survival abilities.
Note: This work must be taken in water deep enough for the appropriate actions.
The Water Discovery Strand has a certificate with the 4 levels that a teacher may sign off as each is achieved.
Water Smart:
Introduces water safety knowledge and skills.
Rookie Survivor:
Provides the learner with safety and survival skills including basic techniques of clothed survival swimming, and to extend the range of swimming skills and personal fitness for survival.
Super Survivor:
Further develops swimming skills, knowledge of safety, personal survival skills and endurance.
Ultra Survivor
Aims to encourage a high level of swimming skills, endurance, personal survival skills, group strategies and knowledge of safety.
The Survivor series has a certificate for each of the three levels.
Rescue:
Dry Rescue
Introduces land based water rescue techniques and assesses learner’s initiative.
Wade Rescue
Introduces skills and knowledge of non contact rescues in shallow water and concept of resuscitation.
Accompanied Rescue
Develops skills and knowledge of non contact rescue and survival in deep water and the practice of resuscitation.
The Rescue series has a certificate for each of the three levels.